He was surprised to say the least.

"Well commander, I'll ask you again, do you want her?"

A command. Not just any command, but flagship command.

"The Constitution?" He inquired, obviously awe-struck by the mere thought of it.

"The Constitution." The Admiral answered.

He thought about it. Which is stupid, he thought, because I already know the answer.

"When do I report in?" A smirk appeared on his face, one of arrogance, but he was shaking on the inside.

The Admiral flashed an ear to ear smile, "1845 Friday at the very latest, launch is at 1930 sharp."

The smirk was wiped away, replaced with a face of fear, "L..Launch? I'm part of the launching crew?"

"Yep, for the ceremony, the command crew of the greatest starship in the galaxy launches with her on her maiden flight," the Admiral continued to smile, "a launch that will be attended by dignitaries from across the Federation and numerous non-aligned worlds."

"So I gotta make a show." He concluded.

"No, you just gotta launch her, and command for five years after that," the Admiral said,"the top brass is gonna make the show."

He looked at his superior officer, an older man, slightly gray on top and lines beneath his eyes, looking far more tired than what he acted. His slight British accent sneaking through every other word. Admiral Johnathan Welles. A sneaky old war-horse.

"So what do you say Mark?" the Admiral asked, the smile returning but not at full intensity.

"I already said yes, it's just that the launching crew is a big thing," he said, "not to mention the schmoozing I'll have to do during the launch pre-party."

"Oh yes that, be there by 1400." The cheesy smile returned.

"You mean at the observatory deck, then report to Constitution at 1845 for launch, right?" He said.

"I was right when I picked you, you're smarter than the rest!" Welles chuckled.

"Uh huh," Mark added, in disbelief. "Has anyone ever told you that you're worse than a used car salesman?"

Admiral Welles laughed, "Many a time Mark, many a time, well I have another meeting with the Prime Minister of Andoria, I will see you at the launch, Captain Garrovick!"

The Admiral got up, his smile melted away, and walked off.

Mark Garrovick sighed. He looked up at the ceiling. My life just got harder didn't it? He waved over a petite little waitress.

"Could I have the check please?" He asked. She nodded and walked off. As she walked away he thought to himself. One last time? One last party? Before he even bothered though, his comm unit buzzed in his pocket, the words "MSG FRM MOTHER" flashed in blue. He flipped open the unit and read the message: "When are we gonna see you? We all miss our little spaceman!"

He scoffed, "Figures."

The waitress returned, he paid the substantial check, and left. I never even got a damn drink. When he walked outside a light drizzle was blanketing the Parisian roads. The Eiffel Tower was clearly visible, and the lights from the hundreds of restaurants and clubs shined through the little water droplets.

"The City of Lights," he stated out loud, speaking to nobody, a smile on his face, "they got that right."

He managed to flag down a taxi. One of the many, but one of the few that wasn't occupied.

"Gare de Lyon please." He asked, the Frenchmen nodded, and the hover car took off. He looked out towards the city, and sighed. Yeah, it has.